1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to microwave ovens and more particularly to a microwave oven excitation system which produces improved uniformity of energy distribution within the cooking cavity.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a microwave oven cooking cavity, the spatial distribution of the microwave energy tends to be non-uniform. As a result, "hot spots" and "cold spots" are produced at different locations. For many types of foods, cooking results are unsatisfactory under such conditions because some portions of the food may be completely cooked while others are barely warmed. The problem becomes more severe with foods of low thermal conductivity which do not readily conduct heat from the areas which are heated by the microwave energy to those areas which are not. An example of a food falling within this class is cake. However, other foods frequently cooked in microwave ovens, such as meat, also produce unsatisfactory cooking results if the distribution of microwave energy within the oven cavity is not uniform.
One explanation for the non-uniform cooking pattern is that electromagnetic standing wave patterns, known as "modes," are set up within the cooking cavity. When a standing wave pattern is set up, the intensities of the electric and magnetic fields vary greatly with position. The precise configuration of the standing wave or mode pattern is dependent at least upon the frequency of microwave energy used to excite the cavity and upon the dimensions of the cavity itself. It is possible to theoretically predict the particular mode patterns which may be present in the cavity, but actual experimental results are not always consistent with theory. This is particularly so in a countertop microwave oven operating at a frequency of 2450 MHz. Due to the relatively large number of theoretically possible modes, it is difficult to predict with certainty which of the modes will exist. The situation is further complicated by the differing loading effects of different types and quantities of food which may be placed in the cooking cavity.
In an effort to alleviate the problem of non-uniform energy distribution, a great many approaches have been tried. The most common approach is the use of a device known as a "mode stirrer," which typically resembles a fan having metal blades. The mode stirrer rotates and may be placed either within the cooking cavity itself (usually protected by a cover constructed of a material transparent to microwaves) or, to conserve space within the cooking cavity, may be mounted within a recess formed in one of the cooking cavity walls, normally the top.
The function of the mode stirrer is to continually alter the mode pattern within the cooking cavity. If a particular mode exists for only a moment, and then is immediately replaced by a mode having different hot and cold spots, then, averaged over a period of time, the energy distribution within the cavity is more uniform.
While many of the prior art approaches to achieving uniform energy distribution do work to some extent, few perform as well as is desired and many are unduly complicated.
By the present invention, there is provided an excitation system for a microwave oven which achieves an improved time-averaged energy distribution within the cooking cavity and which is extremely economical of manufacture.